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Top Baby Names of the 1920s

Across the 1920s, US parents gave these names most often. The lists below rank the top 25 girls’ and boys’ names by the number of babies who received each name over the decade, from US Social Security Administration data (about 12 million girls and 11 million boys recorded).

The most popular names of the 1920s were Mary for girls and Robert for boys.

Top 25 girls’ names of the 1920s

  1. #1 Mary 701,755
  2. #2 Dorothy 368,875
  3. #3 Helen 290,404
  4. #4 Betty 283,096
  5. #5 Margaret 245,011
  6. #6 Ruth 218,520
  7. #7 Virginia 169,554
  8. #8 Doris 151,193
  9. #9 Mildred 147,155
  10. #10 Frances 140,391
  11. #11 Elizabeth 139,672
  12. #12 Evelyn 124,166
  13. #13 Anna 123,895
  14. #14 Marie 110,564
  15. #15 Alice 110,526
  16. #16 Jean 105,999
  17. #17 Shirley 98,602
  18. #18 Barbara 97,210
  19. #19 Irene 92,836
  20. #20 Marjorie 91,221
  21. #21 Florence 88,295
  22. #22 Lois 88,133
  23. #23 Martha 86,788
  24. #24 Rose 85,305
  25. #25 Lillian 83,160

Top 25 boys’ names of the 1920s

  1. #1 Robert 576,374
  2. #2 John 564,052
  3. #3 James 515,301
  4. #4 William 512,402
  5. #5 Charles 298,031
  6. #6 George 261,945
  7. #7 Joseph 243,809
  8. #8 Richard 222,599
  9. #9 Edward 197,348
  10. #10 Donald 191,816
  11. #11 Thomas 161,107
  12. #12 Frank 151,830
  13. #13 Harold 133,585
  14. #14 Paul 132,384
  15. #15 Raymond 124,212
  16. #16 Walter 119,809
  17. #17 Jack 115,983
  18. #18 Henry 104,552
  19. #19 Kenneth 99,490
  20. #20 Arthur 97,112
  21. #21 Albert 94,431
  22. #22 David 88,736
  23. #23 Harry 86,183
  24. #24 Eugene 84,755
  25. #25 Ralph 84,466

Counts are US births recorded by the Social Security Administration. Numbers show babies given each name across the whole decade.

Frequently asked questions

What was the most popular girls’ name in the 1920s?

Mary was the most popular girls’ name in the 1920s, according to US Social Security Administration data.

What was the most popular boys’ name in the 1920s?

Robert was the most popular boys’ name in the 1920s.

Where does this ranking come from?

These rankings are compiled from US Social Security Administration records of names given to babies born in the United States, counted separately for girls and boys.

See this year’s most popular names →